Contends that the English coffee house was a social and economic institution that served as a daily newspaper and a center of commerce. Discusses coffee house origins, development, significance, and decline. Concludes that the coffee house served as a transition from medieval society to an age of rationality and industry. (CFR)

Describes a study of fifth- and sixth-grade students that investigated the patterns of peer interaction among students working cooperatively in small groups on a computer-based problem-solving task and the effects of gender and group composition on peer interaction. Suggestions for future research are included. (Contains 86 references.) (LRW)

The director of a University of Virginia Arabic language program in Jordan discusses issues, sometimes unfamiliar, with which the administrator must deal. In addition to logistical and administrative tasks, in this context these include the role of women in the Arab university and students' questions about the universality of social values. (MSE)

Reports on a study of students' preferences for social studies, English, and science courses among 888 secondary students. Finds that seventh graders preferred social studies over science, but this preference weakened substantially as students advanced into high school. Finds that boys preferred social studies over English throughout high school.…

Reviews the legal principles and precedents that frame current sexual harassment laws as they relate to schools. Discusses school district liability and responsibility for providing school environments safe from sexual harassment. Includes guidelines for developing and implementing school policies regarding sexual harassment. (CFR)

Reports on a 1990 study of political and social attitudes of Russian school students, age 10-15. Finds that belief in Communism is declining and that boys are more skeptical about Communism than are girls. Concludes that social issues and moral values were considered very important by a large number of the respondents. (CFR)

Explored the connection between emotional expression in the child's family environment and children's social competence with school peers using direct observation of affective dimensions in naturalistic environment (n=50). Reported expressiveness and observed parental affect were both found to be meaningful predictors of children's sociometric…

A nationally representative sample of middle school students from diverse backgrounds was surveyed on educational aspirations, planning, and achievements. Results indicated significant racial and gender differences in educational and vocational planning help-seeking behaviors and significant race and sex interaction in students' educational…

Reports on a survey of 1,077 German students and 233 teachers about different forms of student violence. Finds that the perpetrators were nearly all male, while victims were both male and female. Observes that, in comparison with previous studies, the rate of school violence does not appear to be on the increase. (CFR)

Summarizes study to help a local high school locate problem areas among entering high school freshmen and improve environment and curriculum. Survey data from 314 students indicate females share school experiences with their families, but Hispanic males do not. Females have afterschool chores, but males have few chores. Females select positive,…

An ongoing longitudinal study of 699 adolescents and their parents, begun when the adolescents were ages 13 to 16, found that, although black families had more single-parent households and lower family incomes than white families, black adolescents had higher abstention rates and lower rates of alcohol abuse and other deviance than white…

Educational participation among rural Nepalese school-age children was significantly related to individual student characteristics (gender, age, contribution to household activities and earnings, distance from school, father's educational attainment); household characteristics (educational attitudes, socioeconomic status); teacher characteristics;…

Attitudes toward school of 3,000 urban middle school students were studied over several years as part of a larger evaluation of a middle grades reform initiative. Results suggested that the "mismatch" hypothesized by other researchers between developmental needs of young adolescents and middle school structure and practices may be greater for…

Analysis of data from Egypt and Bangladesh indicates increased educational and labor force participation by women but only in certain sectors of the population. Family strategies related to the use of female labor and female's chances for marriage interact with labor market circumstances, but this interplay is influenced by social class and…

Contends that a large segment of our nation's population is underserved in mathematics and science education. Some teaching strategies suggested to increase mathematics and scientific literacy among all students include making wrongs right; vary learning and allow group work; overcome language barriers with math and science; and respect different…